Nikon vs. Canon

Politics has Republicans vs. Democrats. Baseball has American League vs. National League. And photography has Nikon vs. Canon. The Nikon vs. Canon rivalry has run deep among photographers for decades. So we decided it’s time that it had its own web site. On www.nikonvscanon.com you’ll find news from both sides, arguments in support of both and a place for supporters of both to have their say.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Canon beat Nikon 8-2 in December’s reader photo contests in the two largest U.S. photo magazines – matching last month’s score exactly and wrapping up the year with a 71-56 win over Nikon for all of 2007.

The win for the year was Canon’s second in a row, with a significantly broader margin than last year’s 89-83.

Canon beat Nikon 3-0 in Popular Photography and Imaging’s “Your Best Shot” contest for December, following up on 2-1 wins two months in a row, then went on to outscore Nikon 5-2 in Shutterbug’s “Picture This!” feature for a total score of Canon 8, Nikon 2. Other brands scored three hits in Shutterbug but none in Pop, also the same as last month.

All other brands combined totaled 37 for the year, compared with 43 last year. That means Nikon and Canon together outscored all others together nearly four to one.

The year ended with five months won by Canon, four by Nikon and three tied.

Popular Photography and Imaging and Shutterbug run photo contests for readers each month. The majority of winning photos are shot with either Nikon or Canon cameras, and www.NikonvsCanon.com tracks the winners as a means of keeping score in the perennial argument among photographers of which brand is better.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

Nikon Inc. Appoints New President

Nikon Inc. has a new President and CEO.

Twenty-nine-year Nikon veteran Yasuyuki Okamoto will be responsible for driving the company’s performance in the areas of sales, marketing and customer service for North, Central and South American markets.

"Nikon’s operations in the Americas are very important to the success of our company and I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with the team at Nikon Inc.,” Okamoto said. “We have developed great prospects for continued growth within the Americas, and I hope to work closely with the team to build upon the tremendous momentum of recent years and drive successes for Nikon Inc.”

Okamoto has a diverse background with Nikon. He has held top management positions at Nikon’s headquarters in Tokyo and Nikon subsidiaries within a variety of markets, product divisions and business situations. Most recently, Okamoto served as general manager and operating officer at the marketing headquarters for the Imaging Company at Nikon Corporation. In that role, Okamoto was responsible for global marketing initiatives and policies. During his term Nikon developed a highly competitive and sophisticated marketing team that helped the company gain market share in Japan and across its worldwide subsidiaries.

Prior to his work at the marketing headquarters, Okamoto was general manager of corporate communications for Nikon Corporation in Japan. His responsibilities included overseeing all internal and external communications initiatives relating to Nikon Corporation's businesses throughout the world, as well as managing the company's financial and investor relations activities.

Additionally, Okamoto served as president of Nikon France SA in 1998, spending more than five years directing Nikon’s photo and imaging business activities in the region. Under his leadership, Nikon France SA developed an aggressive marketing and communications approach that helped the subsidiary successfully gain market share in the region.

Nikon Sponsors Project to Capture Pictures that “Define Life at Home in America"

Nikon was among the companies that sponsored this fall’s America at Home project, an extended day-in-the-life effort to document and photograph the Americans home.

From September 17-23, 100 prominent photojournalists and thousands of amateur photographers fanned out around the United States to capture pictures of their life at home. Nikon, in association with FotoNation.net, provided 100 Coolpix S51c Wi-Fi enabled point and shoot digital cameras to photographers, allowing them to easily shoot and send their pictures wirelessly from wherever they were. (Participants were free to use more serious cameras as well, and equipment was not restricted to Nikon.)

“Nikon is excited to be a part of such a momentous project, and provide professional photographers with an easy way to share their vision,” said Bill Giordano, Nikon’s general manager Coolpix marketing.

America at Home was produced by former Time, Life and National Geographic photographer Rick Smolan in partnership with furniture retailer IKEA. In the past, Smolan and his team of magazine and newspaper photo editors have successfully produced such notable projects as A Day in the Life of America: America 24/7, 24 Hours in Cyberspace, and One Digital Day.

A book of photos from the project is scheduled to be published in March.

Nikon Starts Podcast Series

Nikon is on the radio – Internet radio, at least.

Nikon this fall began a series of podcasts on topics ranging from the basics of digital SLR photography to how to shoot particular situations, with a big emphasis on Nikon equipment, of course. (If you’re reading this blog, you probably know that a podcast is a radio program that is downloaded from a website rather than broadcast over the air, then listened to either on your computer, iPod or other MP-3 player.)

The first episode featured “lifestyle journalist” Mark Ellwood interviewing Nikon Inc. Senior Technical Manager Steve Heiner talk radio-style on the topic of “All About D-SLR.” The episode is very beginner-oriented, clearly targeted at a point-and-shoot owner considering a D-40 rather than a professional thinking about a D-3. And as the title indicates, Ellwood kept awkwardly using the term “D-SLR” rather than “a D-SLR” as if it were a style of photography rather than a type of camera. Ellwood is clearly not a photographer but apparently was chosen on purpose as a typical consumer who doesn’t know an f/stop from a shutter speed who wants to learn the advantages of a digital SLR. But it’s still interesting to see Nikon exploring the relatively new medium of podcasting to get the word out and perhaps encourage a few people to move up to the world of interchangeable lenses and pentaprisms.

The series is up to five episodes now, with the latest covering PhotoPlus Expo 2007. Click here for Nikon’s press release page, then click on the release about each episode in order to get the links and listen.

Canon Beats Nikon 8-2 in November Photo Magazine Contests

Canon beat Nikon 8-2 in November’s reader photo contests in the two largest U.S. photo magazines, taking a hard-to-beat hold on its year-to-date lead as the end of the year approaches and tying monthly wins at four each.

Canon beat Nikon 2-1 in Popular Photography and Imaging’s “Your Best Shot” contest for the third month in a row, then went on trounce Nikon 6-1 in Shutterbug’s “Picture This!” feature for a total score of Canon 8, Nikon 2. Other brands scored three hits in Shutterbug but none in Pop.

The numbers expand Canon’s lead for the year to 63-54 – a nine-point margin that makes it all but impossible for Nikon to come from behind with only one month left in the year. (Canon led Nikon 55-52 last month.) All others combined now total 34. Canon and Nikon now have four winning months each, with three months tied. Canon won 2006 89-83 with all other brands combined accounting for 43 photos.